Buddha - Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment

Welcome to The Daily Quote – I'm Andrew McGivern.

Today's quote comes from Buddha, who said:

"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment."

Do not dwell. Do not dream. Concentrate.

Three directives. One target: the present moment.

Buddha understood something most people miss: the only moment where you have any power is right now. Not yesterday. Not tomorrow. Now.
When you dwell in the past, you're replaying something you can't change.

You're giving your mental energy to moments that no longer exist.
When you dream of the future, you're imagining something that hasn't happened yet. You're spending your attention on possibilities instead of realities.

But when you concentrate on the present moment – this moment, right now – you're in the only place where action is possible. Where decisions happen. Where life actually occurs.

The past is a memory. The future is a prediction - an illusion really. The present is the only thing that's real.

Most people live everywhere except where they actually are. Their mind is in yesterday's argument or tomorrow's meeting. They're physically here but mentally somewhere else.

And they wonder why they feel powerless. Why they feel anxious. Why nothing changes.

Buddha's answer: because you're not actually present. You're dwelling or dreaming instead of concentrating on the only moment that matters.
This reminds me of something Dr. Benjamin Hardy writes about: we think the past determines the present and the present determines the future. How could it be otherwise... the events, circumstances and choices I've made created my present situation and what I do in the present shapes my future. Obviously - right?

But it's actually backwards.

It is true you can't change the past. Whether there was struggle, abuse, suffering. There is no way to go back in time and change anything. But in the present you can decide what those things mean. You decide how to perceive the past and it can hold you back or empower you forward. A failure becomes a lesson. A setback becomes a setup.

Ok that makes sense but how is it possible that the future can determine your present.

Well, your future vision determines how you act in the present.
Here's what that means: when I decide what future I want, that decision changes what I do right now, in this present moment.

If my future vision is just more of the same boring stuff from the past, then how motivated will I be to take massive action in the present... not very. But if I have a compelling future to look forward to? If I set some impossible goals and believe that I can get there. Well that is a different story. If you have a compelling future you will be more motivated in the present.

Buddha's teaching us to concentrate on now. Hardy's showing us why: because the present moment is where you create a vision for the future and rewrite the meaning of the past.

All your power lives right here. Right now.
So here's the question: Where is your mind right now? Are you dwelling in the past? Dreaming of the future? Or are you actually here, in this moment, where your power lives?

Because this moment – right now – is the only place where anything can change. Whether you are changing the meaning of your past or creating a compelling future to make for yourself.

Concentrate on the here and now. Everything else follows.

That's it for today. I'm Andrew McGivern – I'll see you in the next one with another Daily Quote.